The Remarkable Magic of Gentleness
by MimiK
Summary: An idea how Snape/Hermione started.
1. The Return

_A/N: I don't own anything - except my weird ideas about a lot of things. Enjoy reading!_

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 **The Remarkable Magic of Gentleness**

Chapter 1 – The Return

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 _Beep! Beep!_

The notification sound for incoming text messages on her mobile phone drove Hermione crazy. She deeply regretted that she introduced her friends to this muggle invention.

 _Beep! Beep!_

One chapter only.

 _Beep! Beep!_

At least, one page.

 _Beep! Beep!_

One…

 _Beep! Beep!_

"Orrrrr." With an angry noise, Hermione reached for her phone. Next time she would mute it.

[Hermione?]

[Hermione?]

[Hermione?]

[Hermione?]

[Hermione!]

It was Ron, who desperately tried to get in contact with his girlfriend. Hermione cursed the wireless telephone network that was unfortunately working very properly in her hideaway deep in the Scottish Highlands. In the end, it would be better to answer his messages before he decided to apparate to her office.

[Hi Ron, what is it?]

[Haven't you heard?]

[Heard what?]

[The news.]

 _Yes, Ron, great._ Hermione sighed.

[Which news?]

[That he's back...]

Hermione felt her throat narrowing. Was Ron telling her about the return of the Dark Lord? How could it be? He was dead, wasn't he? The young woman shivered. Her heart started to beat fast.

 _Beep! Beep!_

[Hermione?]

[Who?]

[Who what?]

[Who is back?]

With the next _Beep! Beep!_ a picture appeared on the screen of Hermione's phone. It took her a while before she realised that it was a cartoon of their Potions master drawn by Ron during a lesson ages ago.

[Professor Snape? But...]

[Yes, Snape. Unbelievable, right?]

Hermione rose from her chair. Within a minute she dialled the number of Ron's mobile phone. "Ronald Bilius Weasley", she shouted as soon as he answered the call. "Are you kidding me?!"

"No, seriously not", he swore.

"But how?" Hermione was completely confused. "He was dead."

"It's all in today's _Daily Prophet_ ", Ron told her. "Some members of the Order saved and hid him. He was very ill for more than two years, but now he is back."

Hermione was stunned. She couldn't speak for quite some time. Finally she squeezed at least some words out.

"Did Harry speak to him? He has to... We have to..."

 _Stop_ , she thought. She had to think. All these emotions, she was overcome by just now, were not helpful. Hermione still felt guilty about every bad thought, about every sharp comment on Severus Snape as well as an irrational feeling of relief. One more survived their fight.

 _One more survivor._

"I better check the _Daily Prophet_ then", she finally told Ron and ended their telephone conversation.

Hermione rushed out of the room and down the few steps to the door.

The _Daily Prophet_ as well as her mail were delivered by an owl every day, but Hermione was too busy with her current project to pay attention to the newspapers. Therefore quite a pile of papers was to be found on the doorstep. Thank god, the news about Professor Snape were the headlines of the latest issue. Hermione wouldn't have to search the whole mountain of paper.

She pushed the paper pile inside with her foot, grabbed the newspaper from the top and went to the small living room. To make herself more comfortable, she chose the huge armchair to sit and one of the delicious apples her mother had sent her as second breakfast.

An hour later she still studied the "exciting revelations about the return of the year". It wasn't surprising at all that there was not much substantial information in the numerous articles and reports.

 _Fact 1: Professor Severus Snape had returned to the wizard world alive (more or less)._

 _Fact 2: He had informed the Minister for Magic about his whereabouts._

 _Fact 3: Nobody knew where he was right now._

The newspaper was covered with many pictures of Severus Snape, but none of them seemed to be a current one. In addition, no one despite the Minister and "some trustworthy persons" had met the "wizard, who returned from the dead" resp. the "resurrected former Death Eater".

 _Beep! Beep!_

[Have you heard?]

[Yes, Ron told me.]

 _Beep! Beep!_

[What do you think?]

[I don't know. How do you feel, Harry?]

 _Beep! Beep!_

[…]

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Hermione spent the remaining time until the afternoon continuing her work, but decided then that she was too unfocussed for her studies. Instead of further reading and writing, she took her bicycle and rode to the small shop in the middle of the little village.

Maeclachan was her home for the summer. She was glad that she had got the research project that had brought her to secluded wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. Well, it wasn't as secluded and wild as Hermione had dreamt before her arrival, but most of the tourists shied away from the weary journey and Hermione's friends (wizards as well as muggles) thought that the place was too boring for an exciting summer holiday.

For Hermione it was quite the opposite. Once she arrived in Maeclachan, she was fallen in love with the place and the stunning landscape. She hadn't missed the busy London for a second. The discoveries she had already made were exciting like nothing else. She couldn't wait for more.

"Good day, Hamish", she greeted the shopkeeper, while entering his shop.

"Aye, Miss Granger", the man replied. He smiled at her. "It's a lovely day today, isn't it?"

"Very lovely." Hermione nodded and answered the smile. "I've already thought about a walk to the Three Stones."

"Aye." Hamish Bimblemalt seemed to think that was a good idea.

Hermione really liked him. Actually, she loved every one of the villagers and felt very much at home.

"Our Miss Granger is a very smart girl, you know", Hamish suddenly said. "Working here to finish her studies. Mary Macdunegan lent the summerhouse to her."

From one second to the next, Hermione was puzzled. How weird! The shopkeeper had never used to talk to himself before. She turned around and discovered a figure more or less hidden in the shadow next to the shelf with the hiking equipment.

"Miss Granger has always been a very bright person", the man told Hamish Bimblemalt.

Hermione froze as she recognised the voice of the stranger.

"So, you met before?" Hamish was excited about the coincidence.

"I had the honour to be one of Miss Granger's teachers."

"Professor Snape", Hermoine stammered.

"Obviously", he replied.


	2. Old Habits

Chapter 2 – Old Habits

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Serverus Snape called himself foolish. He felt so for numerous reasons.

First of all, he didn't think that it had been wise to return at all. He had thought it through for some time and had made his decision, but he still felt very uncomfortable.

Many members of the Order had died. He felt terribly sad about all the losses. Lupin and Tonks, Sirius Black and even Albus Dumbledore would never return, but the Death Eater had done. He didn't know how many people knew the truth about him and he wasn't sure, if he really wanted all facts to be known.

In addition, the encounter with his former student in the village shop had been quite weird. They had both returned to old habits immediately. He had behaved like during his lessons in Hogwarts and Granger had panicked. After all the things that had happened, one could expected some changes, but he still was the frightening Potions Master for her as well as she was the _insufferable_ _know-it-all_ for him.

Amazing. The wizard world had survived one of its tremendous challenges, but certain things never changed.

What did Poppy always used to say? _Be gentle to the pupils and they will love you forever._

It had never been affection, or worse, love that Severus Snape had expected from his students, but a good dose of respect combined with a pinch of fear had always worked very well. He had ever generally preferred a tense atmosphere during classes. In his experience, at least 45% of the students had been more focussed on the lessons. Unfortunately the rest had nearly died of angst.

The third thing, why Severus Snape thought of himself as foolish, was his decision to walk all the way from Maeclachan to the little hunting lodge he had rented for the next three months. Even a muggle car would have been more comfortable than this walk over rough and smooth. He was definitely not fully recovered. Even the most skilled wizard physicians weren't sure, if he ever would.

At least on this point he should listen to Poppy Pomfrey's advice as she had put him together again after most of his missions for the Order.

 _Go and find a quiet place, where no magic is needed. Relax and replenish your energy._

As complex spells and magic like to apparate were forbidden him by his doctors, he would stay in the hunting lodge for the next months and would read the latest releases by his fellow magicians as well as one or the other book from muggle bestseller list.

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Hermione had rushed back from the shop on her bicycle. She still couldn't believe, what she had seen, whom she had just met. How could he have survived?! He had been killed by one of Voldemort's creatures. She knew this for sure.

It had been one thing to hear the news from Ron and to read all about it in the newspaper, but it was something completely different to meet Professor Snape in person all of a sudden. Hermione still trembled slightly.

Arrived at the summerhouse, she hurried inside. The first thing that came to her mind was to return to her study. It was a silly idea to hide behind pile of books and papers, but Hermione had always felt safe in a library. Her younger self would have very much appreciate this.

Less appreciative would the Hogwarts student be about the chaos the present Hermione had created in her temporary home. The young woman sighed, when she spotted the newspaper/letter pile on the floor next to the front door. At which moment had she adapted Ron's methods of filing and organizing?

It was about time to get down to work immediately…

An hour later all issues of the _Daily Prophet_ were sorted by date, with the latest on top, and all letters were categorised by sender and importance. Hermione's desk saw all of her working materials neatly arranged.

Hermione was amazed about the feeling of security and comfort that filled her with inner calmness. Old habits didn't have to be bad at all.

 _Time to return to plants and potions._ Hermione decided to work an extra shift this evening. The subject she was reading about before the disturbance in the morning was so exciting that she would regain the lost time easily.

Her project about the various counter-effects of the same plants in different potions was very fascinating. The main influence was not only the quantity used for the brew alone, but also the colour of the plant as well as the area where it was collected. All these were long-known facts, but surprisingly nobody had ever decided to carry out appropriate research in greater depth and had published it.

The perfect mixture of collecting ancient knowledge and verifying latest insights amazed Hermione extraordinary. She would love to spend many years with it.

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"Hermione, you're such a wonk," Ron complained on the phone the next morning. "It's the Quidditch match of the year! You could really join me and Harry…"

"No, I would lose more than day of work," Hermione objected. "If I join you, I would never finish my project in time. Don't you take this point? It's important to me."

"And this Quidditch match is important to me. Why don't you take this point? And when did you change back to little Miss Smart-Aleck from school?"

Hermione got angry. It wasn't fair to taunt her with her thirst for knowledge – again. She'd never used to blame him for his escapades. "I won't this discuss this any further, Ron."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They both ended the call in anger.

It was very childish to disagree so strong and to have such firm opinions, but thinking about it, Hermione realised that she and Ron had done it this way since their first meeting. It was quite a routine. In the end, one would call the other to apologise. And as most often, Hermione would be the one.

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